Bodysgallen Hall and Spa

We had booked for the afternoon tea, from being greeted at the door, the service was spot on The food itself was amazing, finger sandwiches, cakes and the fresh baked scones to die for. A walk around the grounds finished off an unforgettable afternoon. Thank you x

From the beauty of the hall and accommodations, to the amazing gardens and grounds, to courteous, friendly, knowledgeable staff, to the wonderful food and drinks, to the great spa with indoor lap pool, Bodysgallen is a gem. We only wish we lived closer so we could pop over for a weekend as often as possible.

A BIG thank you to the staff at Bodysgallen who served us the delicious Afternoon Tea last week. A very warm and friendly reception on arrival , and delicious afternoon tea. My mother had very specific dietary requirements. The afternoon tea we received had been adapted to her needs perfectly. NOTHING was too much trouble. The Afternoon tea wasn’t just about the delicious food, but also the experience within a beautiful setting, which we thoroughly enjoyed. Looking forward to our next visit

We went for afternoon tea… Service - 4 stars. Excellent on arrival. Very professional and attentive. But once seated we were left a bit which meant we had to get up and find someone to order a drink and ask for butter. Ambience - 3 star. The room we were seated in was gorgeous. Old worldly and nicely organised. However we were seated tucked in the corner of a room where a party of four were already seated by a fire. They were boisterous which made the ambience reduced. A shame as there are plenty of seating / room options. We were seated away from the fire and it was chilly. Also we noted there were about 2-300 lady birds clustered in the windows which flew around us (not over exaggerated - literally hundreds. The hotel reception said they had an infestation issue the previous year). Food - 3 stars. sandwiches were lovely and well filled. Scones tasted nicely but were over cooked and so dry. Cakes were basic, unrefined and a little samey and disappointing for a 5 star hotel. We left half the scones and many cakes due to dryness and them being boring. Champagne - 4 star. It tasted lovely but the price point for champagne was a little over a norm. And we weren’t asked if we wanted more - we had to go hunt to find someone to order more. Environment - 3.5 stars. There are beautiful touches to the room we were in with antiques and lovely dressing. But the way they arranged our seating wasn’t conducive to eating well we had to perch on deep arm chairs that weren’t close to the tables. The tables were partially glass topped (the side leaves weren’t) which made the surface uneven and a little tipsy turvy. The 2-300 lady bugs were a distraction. It was slightly chilly. We didn’t have quite the cutlery for the service (no forks but the meringue needs a fork). Overall. 3.5 stars. This is a listed 5 star hotel. There are elements which are definerly 5 star (the setting and furnishings). But there are elements which smack of laziness and basic cooking. We felt it could be so so much better with a little care and attention. It’s a nice experience but it is no where near worth the price point. A little more attention re service, environment and better cooking and it could be! There’s no reason this shouldn’t be a 5 star experience and it just isn’t! Look to the grosvenor in Chester - same price point but does it so so much better in our opinion. A pretty wrapper with a disappointing product.

I have been going to Bodysgallen for 40 years and quite frankly the whole exoerience of afternoon tea was below even average. Initially the original booking via telephone was a poor experience as I was told how busy they were and only 2pm was available!! On arrival this was not true. I had explained on the telephone call that my wife did not eat ham or smoked salmon....suprise that had not been passed on. Neither were they busy. I asked for 2 glasses of champagne. Was I asked what type....no. Was the champagne chilled.....no. The sandwiches were of poor quality. Overall I fear I will not be returning. Unless I receive a satisfactory answet to such poor service. Bodysgallen is very much a fading star.

What a privilege to stay in this remarkable historic building. It oozes charm with its period decor, furniture and individual bedrooms. We thoroughly enjoyed exploring the beautiful gardens before an excellent dinner and then slept extremely well. Breakfast too was very good with both buffet (delicious fresh pastries) and a la carte options. Service from the young waiting staff was impeccable. However, it was very disappointing that at no point did any member of staff greet us in Welsh as well as English. Whilst I fully understand that for many, it may not be a first or even second language, a "croeso" (welcome) or greeting in both languages would have been appreciated. I was somewhat taken aback that the response to "bore da" (good morning) on St David's Day was a blank look.

Fabulous hotel in beautiful gardens. The room was probably the best we have stayed in. We ate once in the restaurant and the food was of high quality. The staff were friendly and polite. There was only one small negative. Half a back pudding in the cooked breakfast. I thought that was a one off due to a shortage on the first day. But same on the second day. Come on guys, Push the boat out and give us a whole one.

The ambience of Bodysgallen Hall is wonderful.We had afternoon tea in one of the many drawing rooms with a lovely cosy fire. It is difficult to write a review about afternoon tea in such a wonderful building. However, I would like to share our disappointment. From our personal perspective we felt it was lacking in terms of the ingredients in the sandwiches which required more filling only eight finger sandwiches the rest was four scones ream two pots of jam and eight small cakes. We have enjoyed far better afternoon teas. I was rather disappointed when we came to settle our account. No pleasantries from the receptionist and we note that a service charge had been applied without our consent. We paid this mainly because the gentleman who looked after us in the drawing room was knowledgeable about the history and very nice to chat to. We often visit the area but will not return.

With so many wonderful places in the world to visit we rarely visit a hotel more than once. Writing this review after our fifth stay at Bodysgallen shows how much we enjoy staying there. The reasons are obvious. The setting is stunnning - the hotel is situated in glorious National Trust gardens that guests are free to wonder around any time of the day. Snowdonia and NT Bodnant Gardens are on the doorstep. The hotel is superbly managed - attentive, friendly and courteous service in all settings, elegant public areas and well appointed rooms. The jewel in the crown is the restaurant which offers an excellent range of food and drink. Guests also have use of a superb spa with indoor pool. Rates very reasonable for a hotel of this standard. I don’t think it will be too long before we visit for the sixth time.